Review – Doctor Who: Order of the Daleks

I rarely comment on the artwork for Big Finish releases. It is always good; but when the artwork for Order of the Daleks was released, it definitely caught the eye. Stained glass Daleks. Genius! This certainly peaked my interest.

This story does not disappoint. It’s a marvellous script by Mike Tucker, who in the past has worked as a visual effects assistant in the original run of Doctor Who and in the 2005 version was a model unit supervisor who worked on the design of the modern Dalek. The passion for the show and the Daleks very much oozes out of this script.

The 6th Doctor (Colin Baker) and Constance (Maranda Raison) land on the planet Strellin; a planet without technology, that doesn’t know of other worlds and quickly discover it is a grade 3 protected planet. It is under the protection of the Galactic Census. Two members of the Census: Pendle (John Savident) and Asta (Olivia Hallinan) have also just arrived on the planet following a sub-space signal that should have been beyond the natives of the planet to send. They and our friends from the Tardis go in search of the signal and trace it back to an order of Monks (The Brotherhood of the Black Petal) and I am sure I give nothing away when I say it turns out our favourite pepper potted enemies of the Doctor in fancy new suits turn out to be the ones really at the heart of it. But why have they got a new look of stained glass and why are the monks working with them? You will have to listen to find out.The twist of why the Brotherhood of monks are working for the Daleks is a big one and is a great example of doing something imaginative to make a well-trodden Doctor Who foe exciting again. It can’t be easy to do something new with the best known and probably most used baddy in a 50-year old show. There is also a really nice parallel between the Doctor with Constance and Pendle with Asta. Pendle being like the Doctor; larger than life and bit of a know it all, who likes to take charge and has Asta in the companion role.

This in parts also really reminded me of the style of Remembrance of the Daleks. I can’t put my finger on why, but I could picture this being in Colin Baker’s run easily. I’m also really enjoying Constance who really feels like a ‘wren’ taken out of time.

Also a nice guest turn by Nicholas Briggs as the head of the order of Monks; another one of the Big Finish producer/writer/director/actors who must have given up sleep long ago to produce the output he does.

This is a great, imaginative and original Dalek story that takes the best of what we know of them and adds something new.9/10 Sonics.